Monthly Archives: May 2014

There’s a teaching (Rav Avraham, son of Rav Eliyahu (the Vilna Gaon), commenting on the Introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar) that when Adam sinned, he diminished the world just a little, מעט (me-aht). One primary step in repairing the damage … Continue reading →

Of all the 39 categories of מלאכה, malacha, productive work, that define the prohibitions of Shabbat, I’ve always had the greatest trouble with מכים בפטיש, makim b’patish, which literally means “hitting with a hammer”, but is the label given to a … Continue reading →

Although B’chukotei begins with a series of blessings if Yisrael lives in harmony with the the design of reality embodied in the mitzvot, the curses we suffer by rejecting them outnumber (in terms of verses) the blessings by almost three-to-one. … Continue reading →

 וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית U’v’tuvo m’chadesh  b’chol yom tamid ma’aseh bereishit And with His Goodness He renews each day, continuously, the act of creation. We say these words every single day at the beginning of the introductory … Continue reading →

As I sit here on Yom HaAtzmaut, I’m filled with anguish over my own inability to overcome שנאת חינם, sinat chinam, baseless hatred of fellow Jews.  There are prominent Jews whose life missions appear to be to attack and weaken … Continue reading →